Technology Innovation and Commercialization Timeline, Essay Example

Everything that appears so elegant today, more especially in the technological field, has a long history. A brilliant mind should have developed an idea, and then other minds came in to improve it. We take a critical reflection of an automobile; a wheeled vehicle with the capability of carrying its own motors and can transport passengers. Currently, the automobile industry is a very established industry worldwide, with the United States being the world’s largest automobile producer. This paper traces back the innovation and development of the production systems in the automobile industry.

In 1885, Karl Benz built the first automobile that used petrol engine. This took place in Mannheim, Germany. Thereafter, 29 January 1886, Benz obtained a patent for his automobile and he began to do the first production of automobiles in the 1888. In the same year, 1888, Bertha Benz, his wife proved the workability of the automobile by taking a two-way trip of approximately 104 km from Mannheim to Pforzheim.  The horseless coach worked perfectly and it even turned out to be suitable for daily use.

After the suitability test, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach designed a vehicle in 1889. The two also have credit in that they are inventors of the first motorcycle. In 1892, Bernardi enlarged the tricycle in to carry two adults. The motorcycle ended up replacing the horse-drawn carriage fitted with an engine.

Thereafter, the U.S.A. was the leading in the world in automobile production for many decades. In fact, by 1929 the world had approximately 32,028,500 automobiles. However, in 1980, Japan overtook the U.S and became the world’s leader of producing automobiles. With the competitive world, Japan could not hold this position for long, as in 2009, China took the top spot with about 13.8 million units. In 2011, china produced 18.4 million units which almost doubled the number of productions of the US and Japan.

The automotive industry has taken very many changes and forms. In the 1900s, there were the electric vehicles that dominated the market in America. Their introduction outsold all other types of cars at that moment. Then after several years following 1900, the sales of electric vehicles went down taking a nosedive as a newer model of vehicle came in to dominate the consumer market. In 1912, the Delco electric self-starters that had electric lighting came as a standard of all Cadillac models. Once again, the first Chevrolet; a big, powerful, and very expensive Classic 6 car reached production. The Chevrolet domineered in the market for some time, but   due to its high prices, it sub sized letting in the Cadillac.

Ever since, the automobile industry has been evolving, with one make of vehicle coming up, running out of fashion with time, and another one comes up. Several engines also come up, and just as the vehicles, they run out of fashion as time goes by. Some of vehicles and engines that have been in the automotive industry include:

• The new ‘Mercedes- introduced by Daimler at Bad-Cannstatt in 1901 with some input from Jellinek
• The Olsmobile ‘Curved Dash’ petroleum (gas) powered car model
• The “H” gearshift pattern by Packard patents in 1902
• The first new Benz, front engine ‘Parsifal 12/18’, designed by Marius Barbarou in 1903
• Charles Franklin Kettering invented and developed an electric cash register, superior ignition systems, and bank accounting machines for cars
• William Morris introduces his I0hp Morris Oxford light car in 1913

The list is endless, and the mentioned are just but a few of the so many innovations in the automotive industry. With respect to the wide variety of automobiles, several industries flourished in the field. The commonly known industries include:

• The ford motor company, founded in 1903 by Henry Ford
• The Cadillac Motor Car Company founded by engineer Henry Martyn Leland in 1903
• The general motors company
• The Toyota company

The automotive industry today has developed so widely. With the competitive world, engineers spend sleepless nights thinking of hoe to improve or introduce new models of cars into the industry. Unlike the earlier vehicles, Today’s vehicles have precise parameters. The weight, safety, and durability considered while manufacturing them. New materials invented to give new techniques for vehicle design. In fact, there is the introduction of plastics that have helped the advancement of technology of making newer vehicles. The plastic technology not only allows manufactures to advance, but also used in constructing the structural safety to the visual appearance. They are so economical thus allowing cost effectiveness changes, while at the same maintaining high safety and comfort as required in the automotive industry.

As one of the most essential industries, the automobile industry not only allows for transportation, but also enhances commuting all over the world. They play a substantial role in determining the economy of a nation, whereby there are more than 806 million cars and light trucks on the road. All this vehicles meant to enhance the living standards of somebody somewhere. They play a major role developing not only the economic well-being of owners, but also the whole nation in general. Scrapping off the automobiles in the world today could better mean scrapping the world altogether.